Agriculture Hall rededicated as Justin S. Morrill Hall of Agriculture

CONTACT: Eileen Gianiodis, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), 517-884-7087

Agriculture Hall rededicated as Justin S. Morrill Hall of
Agriculture

WHAT: Justin S. Morrill Hall of Agriculture Dedication

Today, MSU officials will rededicate Agriculture Hall as
the Justin S. Morrill Hall of Agriculture. Earlier this year, the existing
Morrill Hall was vacated and the building is now slated for demolition. A
wooden structure originally built in 1900, Morrill had suffered irreparable
deterioration. As a result, it was determined that reconstruction and
restoration of the facility would not be economically feasible.

The academic
units that were housed in Morrill Hall have moved to locations in Wells Hall
and the Old Horticulture Building.

WHEN: 4
p.m., Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013

WHERE: Agriculture Hall Atrium, West Circle Drive, Michigan State
University

WHY: The Michigan State University
Board of Trustees has voted to rename Agriculture Hall the Justin S. Morrill
Hall of Agriculture.

The building
will be named in honor of the man who, as a United States Congressman, brought
about the establishment of the land-grant university. The Morrill Act was
signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862.

“The
original Morrill Act spurred Congressional action in funding agricultural
experiment stations and cooperative extension services,” said Fred Poston, dean
of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “These pillars of the
Morrill Act were at the time, and continue to be, central to MSU’s identity and
mission. It is therefore fitting that the name Morrill Hall be attached to MSU’s
agriculture building.”